AN: this is Madison's friend updating still. my dad's nose break was much more severe than we thought. But he made it through surgery just fine. He's home & sleeping in his recliner now.

It turns out I misunderstood a direction that Madison gave me. Now that I figured it out things are going much more smoothly. And I'm so excited that my dad is doing well. I decided to bless you all with another update.

Chpt. 12 APOV:

"What's your family like?" I ask.

"My family?" Christian repeats.

"I was…just wondering since we're supposed to be going there for dinner on Sunday, what to expect. I mean, obviously I've met your mom already…"

"I think my mom mentioned already, but Mia and Elliot will be there as well as my dad," he starts. "Mia is…about as carefree as you can get. She's the type who prefers to fly by the seat of her pants, sort of planning things as she goes-"

"So the exact opposite of you," I point out.

"I guess you're right," he chuckles. "For as carefree as she is though, she has the world's biggest heart when it comes to people she loves. She's protective, but once she brings you into her circle you're there forever. Elliot…Elliot is the jokester of the family. He likes to come across as if he's as carefree and easy going as Mia is but the truth is actually the opposite. He owns a very successful construction and remodeling company that wouldn't be as successful as it is without is intense focus on it."

"That part sounds like you," I smile. "You're the oldest?"

"No, Elliot is. I'm in the middle and Mia is the baby."

"You guys must have kept your parents busy when you were growing up."

"I'm sure we did," he chuckles. "We were all adopted though, so they had extra struggles of dealing with that on top of the normal kid things."

"You all were? I know you had mentioned before that you were adopted…"

"Elliot was first, then me and finally Mia I think about a year after I was adopted. Mia was the only one that came home as an infant. Elliot and I were both older when we were adopted by Grace and Carrick."

"Do you remember much about before…?"

"Far too much."

I wait to see if he's going to continue but he doesn't; instead he stares straight ahead into the night. I immediately feel guilty for bringing up what are obviously painful memories for him. I rack my brain to come up with something to say; I want to apologize but I know that won't help but he'll brush it off. Instead I settle for changing the topic, hoping that if I can get him thinking of something else that the look in his eyes will disappear.

"Did you start GEH on your own or was it a family business?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

"I started it on my own, much to my parents' disapproval."

"They didn't want you to start GEH?"

"They were supportive of me starting my own business, that wasn't the issue," he explains. "The issue was that I dropped out of Harvard to do it."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, they weren't thrilled with that idea," he agrees. "They tried to convince me to wait until I graduated and then start the business but I didn't see the point in taking classes that were taught in a classroom when I could be learning in the real world."

"So what did you do?"

"I convinced my grandfather to give me a loan from my trust fund which I wasn't supposed to be have access to until I was 25. My grandfather wasn't easy about it though, he had me put together an entire business plan including a five year vision of where GEH would be. He also didn't give me all the money at once; he gave me half of it and then I had to come back to him and show him what his investment created. After that he gave me the second half and I paid him back with interest before the end of the first year."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time in the beginning," he shrugs. "The first few investments were risky and could have easily gone the wrong way, but because they hadn't I was able to invest in other companies and go from there."

"Sir," Taylor startles both us of from the doorway.

"Shit, I lost track of time," Christian says noticing that Taylor is in his running gear. "Give me five minutes."

I pick up the monitor from the table along with our glasses before following Christian inside. Thankfully Teddy is still sleeping, so while Taylor and Christian leave to go running I take a shower and straighten up a little. By the time I've finished Teddy is waking up, so I change and feed him before bringing him into the kitchen to start breakfast. Teddy giggles away in his excersaucer that Taylor surprised me the other day by bringing him.

"Ana, can you come in here?" I hear Taylor calling me from the apartment. I just finished cleaning up from dinner, so I quickly grab Teddy and carry him into the apartment. Taylor is standing with his back to me in the living room, bending over…something.

"Do you need help with something?" I ask.

"I got it," he jostles something before standing up and stepping aside.

"What?"

In front of Taylor is a huge, play….thing for Teddy. There's a seat in the middle that is surrounded by all sorts of different toys that I can only assume light up and make sounds of some sort. It's brightly colored and Teddy's eyes go right to it after hearing Taylor's voice.

"It's an excersaucer," Taylor gestures. "Sophie had one when she was little and loved it. There were days it was the only way her mother could get something done around the house."

"You bought this for Teddy?" I ask surprised.

"I know the bouncy seat hasn't been holding his attention as much, so I thought he might like something new to play in," Taylor shrugs.

"Taylor," I shake my head in awe and walk over to it to show Teddy. His eyes immediately light up and he tries to grab for the toys even before I bend down.

"He seems to like it," Taylor chuckles.

"If you tell me how much it was I can give you money for it-"

"No," he cuts me off quickly.

"Taylor, you shouldn't have to spend money on us. Not with everything else you're doing to help us."

"Ana, it's not a big deal," he shrugs. "I know you're both going through a lot right now; I can't even begin to know what the last few weeks have been like for either of you. If I can do anything to make things a little easier for you I will."

"But…you shouldn't have to buy us things-"

"I didn't have to," he clarifies. "I wanted to. You don't have to worry about the cost or paying me back for it, because I won't take your money."

"But you're already doing so much! I can't imagine how much everything is costing…Sawyer, Welch, Barney…"

"Your father….I owe him my life Ana. It's an honor to have been asked to keep you and Teddy safe. It's the very least I could do after everything he had done for me."

"But-"

"Let's put Teddy in and see what he thinks."

Like that the conversation was over. I took a bunch of pictures of Teddy in the excersaucer so I could show my dad when…I can finally see him again. I've been trying to take pictures of Teddy every day so he can see the change in him since we've been here. I hate like hell not being able to at least text the pictures to my dad, but each time he calls he does so from a burner phone that has a blocked number. I know it's safer this way but I know it must be killing him to not see pictures of Teddy. Kate used to send pictures to us every day, just so we could see that they were doing okay.

Breakfast is done and on a heated plate under a dome, waiting for Christian and Taylor to return from their run. Although Taylor has tried to tell me multiple times that I don't need to cook for him, I make him a plate anyway. I'm cooking for Christian so it's easy enough to throw another couple of eggs and vegetables in the pan after I take his omelet out. The last few mornings the three of us having been eating breakfast together before Taylor and Christian head to GEH. Just before they leave Sawyer will arrive and spend the day here, typically in Taylor's office.

I hear my cell phone ringing from the other apartment and immediately rush to it hoping it's my dad calling since I didn't hear from him yesterday. When I see Taylor's name on the screen though I immediately panic. Taylor never calls my cell phone…

"Hello?"

"Ana, I need you to not leave the apartment-"

"He's here?" I whisper.

"NO!" Taylor says loudly. "Mr. Grey had an accident-"

"It wasn't a fucking accident Taylor!" I hear Christian scream in the background.

"Sawyer is on his way here to pick us up but it's going to be a little while," Taylor continues ignoring Christian. "I need to stay in the penthouse; under no circumstances do you leave or answer the main phone. Understand?"

"Yes…," I try to process everything he's saying since my mind immediately went to him finding us. "Is Christian alright?"

"He probably broke his ankle but he's refusing to allow me to call for ambulance-"

"I don't need a fucking ambulance Taylor! I'm right here you know, I can fucking hear you. You don't need to talk as if I'm a child-"

"What can I do?" I ask.

"Sawyer is on his way but it's going to be at least 35 minutes before he gets to us. I just need…you need to stay in the penthouse. Don't answer the main phone in either apartment. The front desk won't send anyone who doesn't have the code for the elevator with an approval. Mr. Grey isn't expecting anyone but just in case don't answer-"

"I won't Taylor," I assure him.

"Dr. Grey is going to meet us at Escala, but we should arrive before she does. She has the code for the elevator and won't be announced."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry Ana-"

"Taylor, it's not your fault."

"I don't like leaving you alone for so long," he sighs. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Teddy and I will be fine," I assure both him and myself. "Like you've told me I'm in the most secure place, we'll be fine."

"Keep your gun nearby you…just in case."

"I will."

"Call me if you need anything."

"Is there anything you need me to do here…for Christian?"

"He'll probably need ice packs, maybe see what Gail has in the freezer that could be used as one."

"I can do that."

"We'll be there as soon as possible."

Taylor disconnects the call and I wait for the panic to hit at the thought of being alone in the apartment. Typically Christian and Taylor are gone for less than an hour in the morning, looking the clock I realize they've been gone for nearly 90 minutes. Surprisingly though the panic I wait for doesn't come. Even without Taylor, Sawyer or Christian here I do feel safe. It helps knowing though that Welch and Barney have eyes on him and that we would know if he was heading towards Seattle.

"We're going to be fine, right Teddy?" I glance down at the excersaucer where Teddy is bouncing up and down without a care in the world.

I quickly go into the apartment, grab the knife and strap it to my ankle before taking the gun out of Taylor's safe. I make sure safety is on before attaching it in the holster; it's probably not needed by I promised Taylor I would have the gun near me just in case. I move Teddy, still in the seat, into the hallway and go into Christian's bedroom. I straighten up the bed, pulling back the blankets and propping the pillow up against the headboard so Christian can sit up in the bed. I grab some pillows from the great room and make a small area for him to elevate his leg.

Standing in Christian's room, I glance around taking in the room for the first time. Unlike the rest of the apartment which is nearly entirely white, his room is full of warm colors. The bed is a dark wood that matches the other furniture in the room; the walls are painted a warm grey which is accented by some abstract art work on the walls. The entire room is warm and inviting; so much so that I catch myself imagining what it would be like to sleep in here, in Christian's bed…with him.

That thought surprises me…although I suppose it shouldn't. It was only a few hours ago that we were on the balcony and Christian's arms were around me. Last night, when he came out to the balcony I could tell the nightmare was different than the others. He was more upset, more shaken than he has been on other nights. When the bourbon didn't help, I did the only thing I could think of. The other night when we were at dinner and I was talking about Kate, it felt so good when he put his arms around me. I don't know if it helped, but I was hoping that perhaps that would help him come back from his nightmare.

Christian amazes me; he's doing all of this for me and Teddy without asking for a thing in return. When I first met saw him on the plane, I figured he would be all business and want nothing to do with us. I couldn't be more wrong. I like that he's protective us and that he cares about not just me but Teddy too. I like that he doesn't push me to talk about what happened or about the nightmares. I like that-

Ding

The announcement that the elevator has arrived has me darting from Christian's room to in front of the excersaucer where Teddy is in a matter of seconds. My hand immediately goes to the holster on my waist, as I hold my breath watching the doors slowly opening. I swear they take an eternity to finally open, revealing Christian with his arms around Taylor and Sawyer. I let out the breath I was holding; even part of me knew it would either be Christian or his mother, part of me still worried it was him.

"Are you okay? What can I do? What do you need?" I rush towards them.

"I need a fucking drink," Christian grumbles, wincing as he hopes on one foot.

"Um…it's not even eight o'clock yet," I point out.

"Fuck," he sighs.

"Sir, your bedroom?" Taylor asks.

Christian doesn't say anything but nods in agreement; I rush ahead of them to ensure there's nothing in his way. Teddy is watching with wide eyes the entire commotion, taking in everything that is going on around him. Not for the first time, I'm grateful that he's such an easy going baby. With everything that has happened, he just sort of rolls with it. He could be crying right now scared of all the loud noises and the three very large men coming down the hallway towards him but he doesn't.

"I propped up the pillows against the headboard so you can sit up," I gesture towards the bed. "There's a couple pillows from the great room to elevate your ankle too. I'll go grab an ice pack."

"Than-"

I'm out of the room and in Taylor's kitchen before Christian can finish his sentence. I grab a few bags of frozen vegetables and rush back into the bedroom just as Christian is groaning in pain as Taylor pulls off his sneaker. His entire ankle is swollen and is already showing signs of bruising.

"I didn't know if you had a first aid kit anywhere, so I grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables-"

"No," Christian quickly turns away from me. "There has to be a first aid kit somewhere in the apartment with an actual ice pack."

"Oh…I…."

"Come Ana, I'll help you find one," Taylor urges me out of the room, picking up Teddy from the seat before we head down the hall.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure what else-"

"It's not your fault," he whispers as we head back into the smaller apartment.

"Christian's freezer didn't have any frozen vegetables but yours did. My mom used to use frozen bags of veggies as ice packs all the time. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Has Christian told you much about his…time before the Greys?"

"A little; not much. I get the impression he had a really rough childhood."

"Horrific. He doesn't talk much about it, but I've witnessed a few of his nightmares. I don't know the details but the only thing Gail is not allowed to buy for him his frozen peas."

I look down at the bag of veggies in my hand, which of course are peas.

"He doesn't care what we buy for our own kitchen," Taylor takes the bag from my hand and puts it back in the freezer. "I have no idea how long these have even been in there because Gail typically buys fresh but she must have picked them up for some reason."

"I'm sorry-"

"You have nothing to apologize for," he interrupts. "You couldn't have known. Let's look in the bathroom for a first aid kit; I'm sure Gail has one in here."

Sure enough in the bathroom under the sink we find a first aid kit complete with an ice pack. Taylor shakes it to activate the coldness before wrapping it in a hand towel and handing it to me. He does all this while holding Teddy, without giving it a second thought.

"I can take Teddy if you want," I offer.

"Nah, I like holding him," he declines. "It reminds me of when Sophie was this small."

"Do you get to see her much?"

"Not nearly as much as I would like," he sighs. "I see her as often as the custody agreement allows; her mother won't let me see her more often. Mr. Grey pays for her to attend one of the best private schools in Washington State. They're very understanding to our situation so they give me updates on her schooling whenever I ask."

"I'm sorry you don't get to see her more often."

"It is what it is," he shrugs. "Why don't you take this into Mr. Grey?"

I slowly head back to Christian's room, not sure what to say. Of course it was just my luck that out of all the bags in the freezer I grabbed one of peas which apparently Christian has an issue with for whatever reason.

"Taylor found an ice pack," I say walking into Christian's room.

"Thanks," he grumbles wincing as I place it on his ankle.

"What happened?"

"A fucking dog," he shakes his head. "Some stupid lady was running with her dog on a long leash and wasn't paying attention. The dog saw a squirrel, a leaf or fucking something and took off running in front of us. Taylor saw it before I did and managed to jump over the leash…"

"But you didn't see it."

"No, it fucking knocked me right down."

"Can I get you anything else? Maybe something for the pain?"

"That would be great Ana, thank you," a woman's voice comes from the doorway causing me to jump.

"Dr. Grey," I sigh in relief when I turn around and see her at Christian's door.

"Ana dear, how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"I'd be better if my stubborn son would have just let Taylor bring him to the hospital-"

"Mom-"

"Or allowed Taylor to call an ambulance for him."

"I didn't need an ambulance, I'm fine."

"Yes, dear I can tell by the purple swollen ankle propped up on pillows."

"Can I get you anything?" I offer.

"A cup of tea would be great, thank you Ana."

"Christian?" I ask.

"I'm fine," he winces when Grace removes the ice pack from his ankle.

I close the door behind me and head into the kitchen where Taylor and Sawyer are talking. Teddy is playing on a blanket on the floor at their feet, surrounded by toys that Taylor must have grabbed from the apartment.

"Is he okay?" I ask.

"An angel," Taylor says.

"He's so quiet," Sawyer agrees. "My sister's daughter is about the same age; whenever I call her she's screaming in the background."

"He's generally a happy baby," I smile. "He gets a little crabby at bedtime and when he's hungry-"

"Don't we all," Sawyer chuckles.

"Is Dr. Grey in with Mr. Grey?" Taylor asks.

"Yes, I was going to make her a cup of tea and bring Christian in some medicine when she's done."

"Ana, while we were on our run, I was notified that Braxton Junior is leaving Maine," Taylor announces.

"Where's he going?"

"For now, he's on a flight back to Atlanta."

"For now."

"We've planted a few leads that should have him heading somewhere else in the next day or two. Welch was supposed to hear from his guy about the knife today, so I'll touch base with him and see if they've learned anything about the blood on it."

"Okay…"

"I have a feeling we're going to be here today, so I'll set up a conference call with Barney and Welch so they can update us all on what they've learned since our meeting with them last week."

"Thank you."

"We still have eyes on him Ana," Taylor reminds me.

"I'm just going to bring these into Christian's bedroom. Are you okay with Teddy for another couple of minutes? It shouldn't take me long-"

"Go ahead, he's not giving us any problems," Sawyer interrupts.

"You're sure?" I ask.

"Go ahead Ana," Taylor nods.

I take the tea, pain medicine and a bottle of water from the kitchen and knock on Christian's bedroom door.

"I wasn't sure how you liked your tea Grace," I hand her the cup.

"Plain is perfect, thank you," she sets it down on Christian's nightstand.

"Here's water and medicine for you," I hand the items to Christian. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…"

"He's not but he's being stubborn just like his father," Grace says. "He needs an x ray but is refusing to go to the hospital-"

"We agreed," he interrupts. "If the swelling isn't better in the next two to three days or the pain gets worse I'll go get an x ray. But even you said right now it's probably too swollen to tell if there's a break from an x ray."

"Yes, but I also said that it would still be in your best interest to get an x ray now just in case it is broken."

Christian rolls his eyes and I can't help but giggle at the childish act; his eyes meet mine and he smirks at me clearly knowing why I'm laughing.

"Ana, I need you to make sure my stubborn son follows my instructions," Grace surprises me by saying.

"Me?" I gulp.

"Yes," she says firmly. "Today, he needs to stay off his ankle as much as possible. Meaning," she glares at Christian, "He needs to stay in bed, except to use the restroom. I'm going to write a script for crutches that Taylor or Sawyer can pick up but they should only be used for trips to the bathroom today. He can work and eat from his bed. Tomorrow, he can work from his home office if he absolutely needs to but his ankle should still be elevated. He's not to go to GEH until I see him again next week-"

"But-"

"If I find out you went Christian, I swear I'll send an ambulance myself to your office to pick you up. Stretcher and all. You see how stubborn he can be? I swear Carrick is the same way."

I just giggle, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Grace. This side of Christian is very different, it's kind of cute.

"I'm stubborn because I have a company to run," he grumbles.

"Which won't fall apart if you need to work from home for a few days. You've done it before without an issue."

"Yes, from a fully equipped office that you won't me in," he grumbles.

"I can help," I offer. "I can fax or scan items for you or whatever else you need in there."

"Ana I can't-"

"Christian, I'm here anyway," I point out. "Gail will be back in the next day or two right?"

"Something like that," he nods.

"So between the two of us we can help you."

"I suppose."

"We'll make it work," I assure him.

"I'm going to stop by tomorrow and check on your ankle," Grace says.

"You don't need to-" Christian says.

"If I call and ask you, no matter what you'll tell me your ankle is better and the swelling is down. I'd rather see it for myself."

"I'll be here."

"I know you will dear," she leans over and kisses him on the cheek. "Take it easy; like I said if you overdo it you'll end up doing more damage to your ankle."

"I know."

"I'll see you both later; Ana call me if he gives you a problem."

"I will."